UN to reopen its schools in Gaza

[oberliner]

Schools in the Gaza Strip operated by the United Nations are set to reopen for the first time since the Israeli offensive against Hamas militants.

About 200,000 Palestinian children are expected to return to class shortly.

In the later stages of the three-week conflict, many of the schools were used to shelter Palestinians whose homes were damaged or destroyed.

It follows a decision by Israel on Friday to lift a ban on UN and foreign aid workers entering the Gaza Strip.

The ban had been in place since early November when tensions mounted between Israel and Hamas as the end of a six-month ceasefire approached.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7848643.stm

[ProgressiveMuslim]

1. There are tent-schools set up near the ruins of bombed schools.

Saw the kids returning this a.m. on Al-Jazeera.

Israel can massacre their loved ones, steal their land, destroy their homes, make them refugees time and again, jail their families without trial or charge, and bomb the shit out of their communities, but they will never destroy them or break their spirit.

I think this is the single fact that the various gov'ts of Israel fail to grasp. The people of Palestine will never assent to their subjugation. They will never go willingly to their deaths, nor cooperate with those who would destroy them.

If this basic fact would be considered, we might get a lot closer to a peace agreement.

[oberliner]

2. Saw the same thing on the BBC

It's encouraging to see smiling Palestinian children again after what they have just gone through.

[ProgressiveMuslim]

3. Pretty amazing, wasn't it? Truly resilient. nt

[oberliner]

29. Fear and trauma in Gaza's schools

Don't know if you've seen this article:

http://english.aljazeera.net/focus/crisisingaza/2009/01...

[Vegasaurus]

10. And Jews are never walking into ovens again

or expecting that anyone will save them.

They have learned one thing after 2000 years of persecution and near annihilation.

This is why they take the Palestinian threats seriously.

We might get closer to a peace agreement if militants realized that they are never, ever going to "liberate all of greater Palestine".

Not ever.

But they could still get a fully functional state, if that were the goal.

[ProgressiveMuslim]

13. Seems like that's exactly what they expect Palestinians to do though.

Seems that Palestinian refusal to comply really rankles.

Does it feel like a mirror held up?

[oberliner]

18. This is the kind of comment from you that surprises me

Comparing Israel to Nazi Germany in that fashion seems grotesquely inappropriate.

[Douglas Carpenter]

23. and you think comparing the Palestinians to the Nazis is appropriate?

or claiming that the Palestinians represent a threat comparable to the holocaust helps facilitate peace?

[oberliner]

25. I do not

I don't think the Palestinians ought to be compared to the Nazis.

[Idealism]

4. I hope those classrooms don't turn into an Israeli hate-fest

It would be understandable, given the circumstances, but we cannot continue the indoctrination of hatred by both sides of this conflict.

[oberliner]

5. Well I would hope that at a UN-run school that sort of thing would not be tolerated nt

[Idealism]

6. In the past, after a time of great conflict

In many nations, the classroom turns into a laboratory of violence and extremism. It happened with the U.S. after World War II, and helped launch us into the Cold War. Do you recall children having to hide under their desks in the event of a nuclear launch, like that was supposed to keep us safe? It permeates education because war infects the entire culture. U.N. ran-school or not, it is not above a society's psyche.

[oberliner]

7. Well, considering the long-standing enmity that already existed

I would think that if the schools were going to preach that kind of hatred they would already have been doing so.

[Idealism]

9. It is possible, but not very likely

Considering I saw many polls taken in Gaza prior to December that showed most Gazan's in favor of a two-state solution. One poll went so far as to poll people in refugee camps, as well, and even they were warm to a two state plan.

I fear if you repeat that same poll now, there would be many who would change their responses.

[oberliner]

11. Actually, most Gazans opposed the two-state solution

The most recent opinion poll taken before the recent conflict, released on December 3, 2008, showed 52 percent of Gazans opposed to the two-state solution and 47 percent in favor.

[Idealism]

12. I would refrain from broad-brush statements based upon one poll

Again, I have seen many over the past few years that are meticulously done. Did you poll break down what in the villages/cities/refugee camp want to see?

[ProgressiveMuslim]

16. Do you have any sense of what the difference in those places of habitation looks like in Gaza?

It's not quite as neat as you might imagine. You could be in the camp one minute and in a different neighborhood in the next and not even realize it.

You seem to have some assumptions about the differeces in those backgrounds. I wonder if you would care to expound on them...

[Idealism]

21. Other than countless pictures and videos

I can't truly understand unless I have been there, but it seems odd that a few polls would break areas down to that level. It made sense, given that those they polled living in a refugee camp were less amiable towards a two-state solution.

[ProgressiveMuslim]

15. The better question would be: do you think it's remotely possible? I wonder how many

were actually answering that.

The 2-state thing hasn't exactly worked out for Gaza, in case you hadn't noticed

[oberliner]

17. One question asked what the chances of that happening in the next 5 years was

The responses were:

Non-Existant: 30
Low: 36
Medium: 28
High: 4

[GoesTo11]

19. So, do you think that a more specific question would give different answers?

If the questions was "do you want a 2-state solution that is essentially like it is now?" then people would say no, but if it was "do you want a 2-state solution where you will have a normal life" (however that would be formulated) then more would say yes?

[ProgressiveMuslim]

14. "even went so far as to poll people in refugee camps..." WTF is that supposed to mean?

YOu make it sound like they polled martians or something... Do you think people in camps are some sort of untouchables or something?

[Idealism]

22. Not at all

I am saying it was meticulously done to get a broader opinion. It wasn't just polling those living in apartments in a city, it was people who lost their homes. Polls have had a history of false randomization (Truman's presidential win is one such example). I wasn't trying to infer anything like that

[LeftishBrit]

8. I am very glad to hear this.

[GoesTo11]

20. what are you doing posting a thread in dogpoundpup's forum

By my count, 32 of the top 37 threads now. Yowza.

[slipslidingaway]

24. Maybe there should be one thread for every death...

besides the threads are hidden in some back room forum which most people never see.

[oberliner]

26. In what sense are they hidden?

Add the I/P forum to your "My DU" page and you can click to I/P threads as easily as any other threads.

[slipslidingaway]

27. Are any of these threads ever listed on the DU home page or

greatest page? Many threads in LBN or GD are locked and transferred here to prevent them from getting too much exposure. Political videos pertaining to the current news are once again being locked. In addition three videos in the past couple of weeks and had many R's, but they did not show up on the GP, even though they were within the 24 hour rule.

[oberliner]

28. There is a story about Gaza on the DU homepage right now

Also several videos about Gaza are on there as well.

[slipslidingaway]

30. Well I have never seen a thread from this forum listed on the

homepage or the GP.

One LBN thread is currently on the homepage, maybe it will be allowed to stay as the focus is on the BBC. If you look at the PV forum threads are being locked.